“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu

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All good things…

I am finally back in the States- a triumphant return! It was a journey of about 36 hours of straight traveling, including a train, 3 flights, a car ride, and an overnight stay in the Dublin airport. But, alas, I’m back in the land of the free! This summer was one for the books, for I’ve grown as a person, traveler, scholar, and researcher. My internship with the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival may be over, but my professional journey is just beginning. (So cheesy.)

Dublin truly did feel like home when I was there, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Dubliners are some of the nicest, most down to earth, and generous people there are. On my last day, my boss Jackie (who was always a hoot) told me to remember them and keep up the good work in America. I don’t think she realized how big of impact they have left on me. Each member of the JDIFF staff had something intriguing about them and offered new lessons to be learned. From marketing to social media to administrative to corporate relationships, this internship shed new light on the inner workings of a nonprofit organization.

My biggest lesson I’ve learned from my internship was the importance of branding the identity of an organization. JDIFF has a corporate sponsorship with Jameson Whiskey, which has led to lots of questions about sponsorship and corporate relationships. The pros and cons of such a sponsorship were clearly observed during my short 8 week internship. I had access to the server of the festival and dug deep into files to research the past sponsors, corporate relationships, and branding material of the festival. Since it is only 14 years old, the next few years will be very crucial to the future and preservation of the festival. But I think JDIFF will be just fine. They understand who they are, what they do, who their audiences are, and what goals they want to achieve. Sometimes that’s the most critical (and perhaps sometimes most overlooked) questions to ask when running an organization.

Last night in Dublin

Georgia the Cat!!!

View from my desk 🙂

Old Library, Trinity College

Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland, UK

After my internship was over, I said my goodbye to Dublin and the Republic of Ireland and roadtripped Scotland and England with my family for 15 days (literally, we drove a car and that was very scary). Once they left from London, I headed to France and went from the Channel to the Mediterranean, stopping in Normandy, Paris, Lyon, and Montpellier. It was a beautiful experience.

So what does the future hold? I’m back at the High Museum of Art and have the final semester to go. And then graduation!! Hopefully, upon graduation, I’ll find something in a development or communication department of a nonprofit organization, ideally a museum. We’ll see what happens. 🙂